A single 300W solar panel can provide enough energy to power a Tesla for 1000 miles over the course of a year. Ten 300W solar panels can provide enough energy to replace themselves and power a Tesla for 20,000 miles over the course of two years while continuing to provide energy for the next 23 years. With ten 300W solar panels the expected output would be enough to charge a Tesla for its entire life and produce another 100-120 solar panels. Coal is necessary as a main energy source for now, but it does not have to always be that way.

EDIT This is just math regarding the expected output of a 300W solar panel over the course of its expected lifetime using a Tesla for example. What solar panels power and them not be recycled because of cronyism are two separate discussions.

A single 300W solar panel can provide enough energy to power a Tesla for 1000 miles over the course of a year. Ten 300W solar panels can provide enough energy to replace themselves and power a Tesla for 20,000 miles over the course of two years while continuing to provide energy for the next 23 years. With ten 300W solar panels the expected output would be enough to charge a Tesla for its entire life and produce another 100-120 solar panels. Coal is necessary as a main energy source for now, but it does not have to always be that way.